Supreme Chancellor
Supreme Chancellor, usually simply known as Chancellor, was the title of the and Government of the Galactic Republic. The Supreme Chancellor would also serve as the of the Republic's armed forces during times of conflict. The position was created in 25,000 BBY, the same date as the establishment of the Republic. The Chancellor was tasked with guiding the discussions and debates of the Senate and was the chief officer in regards to enforcing laws and governing the Republic. The Chancellor was not allowed to introduce bills, a power limited to the , but the Chancellor could recommend and request laws be initiated in the . The Chancellor's power went through various phases of expansion and reduction with the final fluctuation occurring in 1,000 BBY when the reduced the Chancellor's governing power and shunted it back to the Senate. The Chancellor was part of the , separate from the Senate which was under the . Election The Chancellor was elected via a Senate vote. The Senate would nominate candidates for the Chancellorship and the Senate would then hold an election to decide who would ascend to the office. Non-politicians were strictly prohibited to be nominated with the exceptions coming in the form of the and a select few Jedi nominations. The Chancellor was allowed to serve two (2) five (5) year terms until the the start of the Great Galactic War. After that time the Senate passed a resolution that erased the limit imposed on the elected Chancellor. Position The executive branch of the Galactic Republic consists of one position, the Supreme Chancellor. The Supreme Chancellor is the only official position, as the and the were considered part of the Legislative Branch. The Supreme Chancellor was appointed via nomination and election by their peers in the Senate. The Chancellor could not be determined by a general election of the Republic's citizens. The position was created during the birth of the Republic circa 25,000 BBY, to be the Senate floor leader and lead diplomat for the Galactic Republic. The position held increasing power until the Ruusan Reformations, which shunted power back into the Legislative Branch and reduced the Chancellor to an advisory-like position. Regardless, the position was still considered very prestigious by the Senators that ran the government. The nominations must come from within the Senate or, in rare occasions, from the Jedi Order. No citizen from the public nor from the Judiciary can be nominated. Therefore, all but the most powerful corporate owners (which have Senate seats) are ineligible and no corporate owner, that is not a part of the Republic, can be nominated. Powers In the early days of the Republic, the Chancellor held much more power than during the latter years of its reign. The Chancellor held enough power to declare war and to introduce bills onto the Senate floor. The Chancellor could also waive the two-term, ten year seat of office limit imposed by the , the founding document that established the laws and regulations that the government had to abide by and enforce, and the rights of the citizens. They were allowed to overrule local planetary and sectorial governments. The Chancellor, however, did not have the power to abolish the Senate or gain direct control of the Jedi Order, a religious order and peacekeeping organization. The Chancellor could not appoint governors to oversee entire regions or sectors during the early days of the Republic. The office was largely powerless after the , an official series of meetings that determined the future power of the government and the Jedi Order's power after a war that lasted a millennium, in 1,000 BBY. The Chancellor could carry out parliamentary procedure and was considered the first among equals in the Senate. However, it had the authority to call an Extraordinary Session of the Senate, and could invoke "Chancellor's Privilege" in circumventing minor aspects of the Senate's parliamentary procedure. He also was the head of the Senatorial Council, or governing body. Despite the Chancellor's limited power, it was considered highest and most prestigious position in the Senate. It included a grand office in both the Senate Rotunda's Chancellery and in the dome-like Senate Office Building in Galactic City. The Chancellor was addressed as "Your Excellency", or if allowed, "Chancellor". The symbol of the office of the Chancellor, as well as the Galactic Senate, was a fanned spear. This sigil was also emblazoned prominently on the Chancellor's podium in the center of the Senate Rotunda's Main Chamber. The Chancellor served a term of office that lasted for five standard years. A Chancellor could legally serve only two consecutive five-year terms before he or she had to step down due to term limits. This could not be waived after the Reformations. The Chancellor had the authority to recognize or ignore Senators who requested to speak. If the Senator was denied, they could not express their opinion or offer an objection to a recognized senators opinion. Checks & balances There were very few checks in place to stop the Chancellor during the first twenty-four thousand years of the Republic's existence. Many of the checks the founders had put in place could be overridden by the Chancellor. Some of the few balances that remained in effect despite the Executive Office's power was the ability to keep control of the Jedi Order under the Senate, the ability to keep the Senate intact, thus preventing any dissolution efforts, and the prohibition of regional governors to keep watch on dissident and loyal systems. A check that was implemented by the Senate was the two-term limit, even if the Chancellor chose to override the limit, the Senate almost always chose to elect the opposing candidate or a Senator from a group of nominations. After the Ruusan Reformations, the Chancery was greatly reduced by, then-incumbent Chancellor, . He reasoned that the decentralization of Republic government and the retirement of all standing military organizations would be beneficial to the preservation of the Republic, which had just seen a millennium-long war. He also moved the Jedi Order to the Judiciary's jurisdiction, with approval of the Senate. Due to the removal of the Jedi Order from the Senate and the dissolution of the military, the Chancellor formally retired the position's rank as Supreme Commander of the Republic Forces. The decentralizing of the Republic's sectorial power was created to balance sector power, shrink the total amount of sectors and reduce bureaucratic problems. This strengthened the power of each individual Senator and reduced the executive's power. The Senate had the power to strike down resolutions by the Chancellor, gave them the ability to enact a " " to unseat the incumbent Chancellor and allowed them to introduce a bill that prevented the Chancellor from placing bills on to the Senate floor for discussion and approval. The Senate leader would be forced to go through Senate channels to introduce bills for him. List of known Chancellors * (c.25,000 BBY) * (1,000 BBY–990 BBY) * (c. 700 BBY) * (c. 232 BBY) *Orasco (28 BBY–20 BBY) (removed) *Magnum Rockwater (20 BBY—) *Kellen Varundle (c. 1 BBY) See also * at [[wookieepedia|Wookieepedia the Star Wars wikia]] Category:Articles by I'm the Chosen One Category:Fan-canon articles Category:Political positions Category:Supreme Chancellors Category:Supreme Commanders